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Work on synthetic biology carried out by Calvert and Frow at the Univ. of Edinburgh since 2007 has led to two different types of impact: on creativity, culture and society; and on public policy. Their research on design in synthetic biology involved artists and designers from across the world. It has resulted in the production of novel cultural artefacts (exhibited in France, Austria, Ireland, the USA and Japan and viewed by 28,000 unique visitors to our website) as well as dedicated events, which have provided new opportunities for public discussion about synthetic biology and the design of living things. Their research findings on the importance of the early-stage involvement of social scientists in synthetic biology and the role of responsible innovation in the field were taken up in the UK Synthetic Biology Roadmap and have led to changes in UK research policy.
Professor Andy Miah's research on the ethics of human enhancement has transformed the working lives of three principal professional communities: curators of UK flagship festivals and exhibitions (Abandon Normal Devices festival, the Wellcome Trust, Edinburgh International Science Festival); journalists (coverage on doping); and politicians and civil servants working on technology policy (European Parliament, World Anti-Doping Agency). His pioneering research has led to the creation of new artistic work, shaped policy directions, contributed to public engagement with bioethics, and advanced debate on the ethics of digital and biological technology.
The impact of the Lectura Dantis Andreapolitana (LDA) on a wide and varied public is primarily cultural and social. The lecture series in St Andrews presents the newest academic research on Dante's Divine Comedy directly, significantly increasing public understanding and appreciation of this key part of Western cultural heritage. Video recordings of the lectures on the website extend the geographical reach of the impact globally. Complementary events invited the public to reflect on and engage with aspects of contemporary society in the light of Dante's ideas about good and evil. Collaborations used research on Dante to inform artistic reflection.
Our research on technologies in science learning has led to increased participation by young people and adults in science, shifting their understanding of the scientific process. Impacts include:
The nanobiotechnology research group at the University of Kent (Bruce et al.) has pioneered the ability to control, manipulate and commercially process magnetite nanoparticles. Two spinout companies, EryDel and Dietheva have been formed, with a €6 million venture capital grant, as a direct result of the Kent-led research. EryDel (in collaboration with Philips Healthcare) are exploiting the materials worldwide for drug delivery (Erydex), with US and European approval for Orphan drug designation given in 2013 for genetic diseases, and Diatheva are marketing the technology for forensic diagnostic kits. The predicted five-year revenue is €35 million with a potential market of €17 billion.
DU research into nanotechnology and geoengineering has used deliberative forms of public engagement involving focus groups with lay publics to explore the complexity of societal concerns about emerging technologies. The results of this research have made a major contribution to the development of a framework of responsible innovation. This framework has been applied to RCUK-funded research, where it led to the withdrawal of the UK's first field trial of a prospective geoengineering technology. This framework has had direct impact on European policy debate and on the UK's Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, which has begun to embed responsible innovation in an operational context.
Our high profile astronomy research discoveries in areas of public interest have allowed us to substantially increase the engagement of the public with science. Media appearances have led to a philanthropic donation of £200k to promote our science, the most successful public event series ever in Northern Ireland (engaging around 2000 people), a strategic partnership with Ireland's award winning science education centre W5 (reaching 26,000 people), and a 49% increase in applications to physics based degrees from NI students to UK HEIs. In 2008 we set three simple targets to substantially increase the public awareness of science and physics. The first was to increase our presence in the mass media (print, radio, TV, internet) to promote scientific research, and we have regularly reached audiences in excess of 295,000. The second was to increase the numbers of people attending science talks and events. The third was to substantially increase the application rate of school students to study physics and mathematics degrees. Through our outreach and engagement programme we have met, and surpassed, all of these targets. The impact of our research and our public outreach programme is a quantifiable societal change. Substantially more NI school students are now studying physics at third level UK HEIs.
Bournemouth University (BU) research by White (BU 2003 to present) focuses on the relationship between art, technology and culture. Exhibitions, workshops and presentations across the UK, Europe and in the USA have provoked societal reflection on critical topics such as genetics and germ warfare, among other controversial ethical issues. The work examines how sites, technologies and events shape our ideas of culture, political and personal life, whilst exposing audiences to ordinarily inaccessible information. Beneficiaries include the arts organisation with whom White has collaborated, and their participants, but more widely, those benefiting from his contribution to socially engaged art. The work has also furthered art-science discourse, providing impetus and critical breadth to the development of art and science as a cultural sector in the UK.
A decade of social science research on emerging technologies carried out and/or directed by Oxford researchers at InSIS (Institute for Science, Innovation and Society) provided the basis for the Oxford Principles for the Governance of Geoengineering Research. These Principles were endorsed by the House of Commons Science and Technology (S&T) Committee in 2010 and were subsequently accepted by the UK Government in its official response to the Committee's report - meaning that appropriate governance arrangements are now a necessary precondition for responsible research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of geoengineering. The Principles have also been "generally endorsed" by the international geoengineering research community in its efforts to ensure responsible conduct in the controversial emerging area of environmental technology.
Research at Bradford has focused on the Biological Non-Proliferation work of the Bradford Disarmament Research Centre (BDRC). The research-informed impact of this work is two-fold. Firstly BDRC has influenced, and continues to influence, decision- and policy-making involving 170 States on how to strengthen global governance through improvements to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). As a consequence of this influence BDRC has changed the practices of institutions and individual researchers and thus has, through novel training and curriculum development, helped foster a culture of biosecurity to reduce the risk of inadvertent or deliberate misuse of life and associated science research.